


What it means to be a hero

by nerdlife4eva



Series: Nerd's Chasing Gold Zine Story [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Coach Katsuki Yuuri, First Meetings, Friendship, Getting to Know Each Other, Hero Worship, Minami has a prosthetic hand and leg, Paralympics, Prosthesis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-02 23:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13328559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdlife4eva/pseuds/nerdlife4eva
Summary: Minami meets Yuuri Katsuki as a child, the rest is history.This is the fic which gives background on Yuuri and Minami's relationship for myChasing Gold zine piece. Please follow the Tumblr blog for updates when the zine will be available!!Me on Tumblrif you want to discuss this fic or any other fic!





	What it means to be a hero

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my wonderful beta!!!! [atelerixe](https://atelerixe.tumblr.com)

The first time Minami met Yuuri Katsuki he waited in line for forty minutes, his eight year old body twitching in excitement as his mother attempted to calm his nervous bouncing. Other children had stared as Minami clutched his favorite picture of Yuuri, a pen tucked into his left hand with its unmoving fingers. The metal joints of his left leg creaked as he bounced, ignoring everyone around him and focusing on his hero at the end of the line.

When he was finally motioned forward, Minami had rushed to Yuuri’s side, declaring he would be just like the famous triathlete someday. He heard the anxious hiss of his mother’s breath, a sound she always made when Minami talked about becoming an athlete, but he remained focused on his hero as Yuuri knelt beside him.

“Well, if you are going to grow up like me, you are going to need lots of practice and a really good bike,” softly Yuuri slipped the pen from Minami’s prosthetic hand, accepting the offered picture with a slight chuckle.

“I like to run!” Minami announced, leaning closer to Yuuri to watch him scroll his signature at the bottom of the picture. “But I don’t have a bike,” biting his lip he glanced at his mom, seeing her shake her head slightly. “Mom says bikes for me are really expensive, so I am saving up to buy one.” He was proud of the small bucket of coins and bills that he had collected over the past few months, puffing out his chest to prove he was serious.

“I saved up for my first bike too,” Yuuri capped the pen, tucking it into the front pocket of Minami’s shirt. “I still have it actually.” He moved to stand up at the direction of the photographer, when he was stopped by a hand on his arm.

He would never remember what spurred him to say it, but Minami blurted, “kids make fun of me, you know.” Shuffling his feet, Minami stared at the ground. He had counted down the days until he got to meet Yuuri face-to-face and now he was going to cry in front of his hero. Swallowing hard, Minami continued to bore holes into his feet with his gaze. “They say I can’t do a lot of things, but I know I can.” His breath hitched. His brain wanted to ask Yuuri for advice, but he couldn’t get the words out.

Sitting back on his heels, Yuuri sighed. “Kids used to make fun of me too.” Pausing, Yuuri nodded with a sympathetic smile when Minami looked at him. “They said I was too chubby to be a runner. They told me I would sink like a rock in the water.” A blush crept over Yuuri’s face as Minami watched him intently. “You know what I told them?” Waiting until Minami shook his head, Yuuri smiled. “I told them I was Kirby. And I was going to suck up all their insults and use them to become stronger.”

Minami clamped his hands over his mouth as the giggles escaped. He wanted to be confident like Yuuri but he didn’t know how. Through his shocked giggles, Minami asked, “what can I tell them I am?” Rotating his wrist, Minami looked sadly at his hand, letting it drop to his side with a thud against his leg.

Thinking about it with a finger over his lips, Yuuri broke into a grin. Sliding his phone from his pocket, Yuuri’s fingers flew over it, turning the screen to show a screen of images to Minami. “Tell them you’re a cyborg.” Using his index finger, Yuuri clicked on one of the pictures. “See this guy? He’s my favorite. He is a pirate cyborg. He can sword fight and cook and pilot space boats!”

Squinting at the picture, Minami shook his head. “They all kind of look like bad guys.”

“Well, looks can be deceiving,” Yuuri locked his phone and put it back in his pocket. “Just because someone looks different, doesn't mean they're bad, right? You can be a good guy cyborg with lots of talents.” Pushing up from the ground, Yuuri patted Minami on the shoulder. “If anyone makes fun of you, tell them you are a cyborg on a mission to collect gold medals.”

“I can do that!” Minami shouted, throwing his arms around Yuuri’s waist. “Thank you, Katsuki Yuuri! You’re my hero!” Turning to smile at the cameras, Minami continued to hang from Yuuri’s waist until his mother pulled him away.

“Ah, wait,” Yuuri took a step toward Minami and his mom, “can I ask why you chose that picture?” Pointing a finger toward the picture in Minami’s hands, Yuuri looked nervously at the little boy.

Smiling down at the picture of Yuuri rolling out of a fall and back onto his feet in the middle of a race, Minami took a deep breath. “Because you fell down. You fell down, but you got right back up and you still won the race. It reminds me to always get back up.” Feeling his mom tug his arm, Minami waved at Yuuri as he was pulled away, leaving Yuuri to stare speechless behind him.

* * *

 

The second time Minami saw Yuuri Katsuki in person, his hero was standing outside of his school, next to his mother. Minami had sprinted away from his friends, running as fast as his mismatched legs could carry him. He stopped short when he noticed the bike leaning against Yuuri’s leg. Lifting a shaky hand, Minami gingerly touched the modified handle bars, glancing up at Yuuri in confusion.

“This was my first bike,” Yuuri explained, lifting the metal frame to spin it around. On the left side of the bike was a specialized pedal, the kind that Minami had been circling in magazines at his doctor’s office for two years. “I had to contact a few different people, but I had it fixed up for you. New tires, special parts, it’s all set. Now all you have to do is learn to ride it.” Yuuri’s laughter burst out of him as Minami dived into his arms.

Tears streamed down Minami’s face as he buried it against Yuuri’s waist. He had been saving up to buy a bike, but it had grown harder to convince his neighbors that he was capable of performing chores for money. They had taken one look at his hand or at his leg, offering to give him the money instead of making him earn it. Minami didn’t want pity so he never accepted any of it.

The bike from Yuuri didn’t feel the same way. As Yuuri helped him take a seat, hand firmly gripping at the back of the bike, Minami didn’t feel even an ounce of condescending judgment. Yuuri’s instructions were concise and helpful without the patronizing tone that Minami’s gym teacher liked to use.

His first ride home, flanked by Yuuri on one side and his mother on the other, was wobbly and resulted in a heavy line of sweat across Minami’s brow. Every ride after that was an improvement, and he had weekly phone calls with Yuuri to update him on his progress. Even on the coldest days, Minami happily rode his bike to school, smiling as his peers rode beside him. It was his first step towards being exactly like Yuuri Katsuki and Minami loved every second of it, even the seconds spent patching scrapes and scratches from tumbles onto the ground. Just like Yuuri, he always got back up and kept going.

* * *

 

Now, that same teenager Minami had looked up to had become the man who ran beside him as his coach. Their relationship had started that day in the meet-and-greet line and had continued to be a staple in Minami’s life throughout every major life event. Yuuri had attended Minami’s graduation and had been there when Minami signed with his first coach.

It was Yuuri’s abrupt retirement after the last summer Olympics that had encouraged Minami to reach out. While he never asked Yuuri why he retired, Minami did ask the most important question on his mind. Thus, from thousands of miles away, Yuuri Katsuki became Minami’s coach and together they were preparing for Minami’s first appearance at the Paralympics.

Nudging Yuuri as they jogged, Minami motioned towards his watch and nodded back toward the training facility. With his own nod, Yuuri changed direction in stride with Minami to head back to the building on the hill. It was a light practice day, as they had a more important activity for that afternoon. With another nudge, Minami took off at a sprint, challenging his coach to a silent race as they tore off back to the locker room.

* * *

Ever the efficient team, Yuuri and Minami worked to hand out drawstring bags to all of the children gathered outside of the training facility doors. Each bag contained items from Minami’s sponsors. He never kept more than he could use himself, getting permission from each sponsor to pass the goods onto the children of the Katsuki & Kenjirou Kids. Every week, Minami and Yuuri would pack a new set of bags, and every week their group of children with a wide range of disabilities would gather for a mile ride around the training park. It was Minami’s favorite day of the week and he knew without asking that his coach felt the same way.

“Are we ready to ride?” Minami yelled, pumping his fist in the air as the children behind him cheered. Next to him, Yuuri laughed, raising his own fist to mimic Minami’s. Behind them, the fleet of K&K Kids were ready for their weekly ride, cheering as they set off down the path on varying forms of modified bikes.

Smiling back at his coach, Minami set a steady pace, listening to the happy chatter of the kids all around him. Of all the lessons Yuuri had taught him, the most important was to look beyond himself to see the difference he could make in the world.

What Minami didn’t know was that he had taught Yuuri this lesson first, on the day they first met, when Yuuri learned the true definition of being a hero.


End file.
